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Far and Away/Angela's Ashes/The Boxer (Box Set) (DVD)(1999)
Triple-bill of Irish-themed drama. 'Far and Away' (1992) is set in Ireland, in 1892. When Joseph Donelly's (Tom Cruise) father is shot while protesting high rents, Joseph is determined to take his revenge and sets out to kill the local landlord, only to have his plan foiled when he is caught by the landlord's daughter Shannon (Nicole Kidman). She is preparing to run away to America and Joseph, who knows an opportunity when he sees one, decides to tag along as her servant. When the pair arrive in the New World, Shannon experiences a poverty she never knew existed, and Joseph attempts to make his fortune by getting involved in the world of bare-knuckle boxing. Things are not going well for either of them, but the chance of better future still beckons, and they head out west, aiming to stake their claim in the wide open spaces of Oklahoma. Based on the memoir by Frank McCourt, 'Angela's Ashes' (1999) follows the Brooklyn-born Frank and his family as they return to their home town of Limerick in Ireland following the death of his baby sister. Malachy Snr. (Robert Carlyle) has difficulty finding work, and his drinking results in wife Angela (Emily Watson) falling on charity to survive. Frank loses two more siblings when twin brothers Oliver and Eugene die young, but manages to carve a life for himself in Limerick, eventually finding work as a coalman's assistant. However, times continue to be hard, especially after Malachy Snr. departs the marital home for good. Finally, in 'The Boxer' (1997), Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Danny Flynn, an ex-IRA member and former boxing champion who has left prison after fourteen years to return to his native Belfast. He falls in with his old coach, Ike (Ken Stott), and the pair open a gym together. Danny meets his old flame, Maggie (Emily Watson), and hopes to rekindle their affair until he discovers that while he was inside she married his best friend, also an IRA member and now serving time himself. As Danny and Ike's gym attracts young talent and Danny successfully resurrects his boxing career, pressure from IRA thug Harry, an opponent of the burgeoning peace process, threatens to destroy everything they are working towards.
